Nathan Blecharczyk | |
|---|---|
 Blecharczyk in 2022 | |
| Born | 1983 (age 40–41) |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Harvard University (BS) |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Known for | Co-founder and chief strategy officer of Airbnb |
| Spouse | Elizabeth Morey Blecharczyk |
| Children | 2 |
Nathan Blecharczyk (born 1983) is an American businessman. He is the co-founder and chief strategy officer of Airbnb, and chairman of Airbnb China.[1] Blecharczyk was also the company's first chief technology officer.[2] He had an estimated net worth of US$9.3 billion in July 2021.
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Digital Leaders: Airbnb Co-Founder Nathan Blecharczyk chats with Professor Arun Sundararajan
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Campus Lecture (Nathan Blecharczyk, Co-Founder and CTO at Airbnb) | DLD16
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Nathan Blecharczyk: Airbnb Interview
Transcription
Early life and education
Blecharczyk was born in 1983,[3] the son of Sheila (née Underwood) and Paul Steven Blecharczyk, who is Polish-American.[4][5] He grew up in an upper-middle-class family in Boston, Massachusetts. He attended Boston Latin Academy. During high school, he made money by creating his own software business.[6] His web-hosting business provided services to spammers and was once listed on the Spamhaus's "Registry of Known Spam Operators (ROKSO)" which lists the top spamming services.[7][8] He continued writing programs while attending Harvard University in pursuit of a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science, and made enough money to pay his tuition before abandoning his web-hosting business to focus on his studies in 2002.[9] He was also on the business staff of The Harvard Crimson during his time at Harvard.[10]
Career
Blecharczyk began his career as an engineer at OPNET Technologies in 2005. He served as a lead developer at Batiq in 2007.[11] In 2008, Blecharczyk partnered with Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia to found Airbnb, he served as the company's first chief technology officer and coded the company's original website using Ruby on Rails.[9] Later that year, after failing to raise funding, the founders bought mass quantities of cereal, designed packaging branded as '"Obama O's" and "Cap'n McCain's" cereal to sell at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado. Originally intended as a marketing ploy, the company sold enough cereal to raise $30,000, and eventually attracted the attention of Y combinator co-founder Paul Graham who gave them $20,000 in early 2009 and accepted the company into the Y Combinator's seed funding program.[12] In the early years of the company, Airbnb had to fight attempts to ban the service in New York City and San Francisco and eventually agreed to pay hotel taxes.[13]
Blecharczyk oversaw Airbnb's 2015 expansion into Cuba.[3] On June 1, 2016, Blecharczyk, Chesky and Gebbia joined Warren Buffett and Bill Gates' 'The Giving Pledge', a select group of billionaires who have committed to give the majority of their wealth away.[14]
In early 2017, Blecharczyk transitioned to chief strategy officer at Airbnb.[2] Blecharczyk was announced as the chairman of Airbnb China, also known as Aibiying, in October 2017.[1]
In summer 2019, Sean Joyce, then a senior Airbnb official, raised concerns after Chinese government officials asked Airbnb for enhanced data sharing in China. The Wall Street Journal reported Blecharczyk responding that the company was not there to "promote American values."[15]
According to Forbes, he had an estimated net worth of US$9.3 billion in July 2021.[3]
Personal life
Blecharczyk resides in San Francisco, California.[3][16] He is married to Elizabeth Morey Blecharczyk, a neonatologist.[17][18] They have two children.[19]
References
- ^ a b Ting, Deanna (October 20, 2017). "Airbnb Co-Founder Nathan Blecharczyk Named Chairman of Airbnb China". Skift.
- ^ a b Stone, Brad; Zaleski, Olivia (January 26, 2017). "Airbnb Enters the Land of Profitability". Bloomberg.
- ^ a b c d "Forbes profile: Nathan Blecharczyk". Forbes.com. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
- ^ Brattleboro Reformer: "Floyd Underwood" August 21, 2003
- ^ @nathanblec (September 30, 2015). "@JacekBereznicki yes I'm half polish; my ancestors came over around the time of World War I" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Salter, Jessica (September 7, 2012). "Airbnb: The Story Behind the $1.3Bn Room-Letting Website". The Telegraph.
- ^ Tate, Ryan. "The Seedy, Spammy Past of Airbnb's Co-Founder". gawker.com. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
- ^ "The Spamhaus Project - Data-Miners.net - Nathan Blecharczyk". May 12, 2003. Archived from the original on May 12, 2003. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
- ^ a b Stone, Brad (January 26, 2017). "The $99 Billion Idea". Bloomberg.
- ^ "About The Harvard Crimson". The Harvard Crimson. June 9, 2004. Archived from the original on June 9, 2004. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
- ^ "Nathan Blecharczyk". Wealth-X.
- ^ Townsend, Tess (October 19, 2016). "How Airbnb Got Out of The "Trough of Sorrow"". Chicago Tribune.
- ^ "Airbnb's Nathan Blecharczyk Is Leaning Back Into the Company's Scrappy Roots | Inc.com". February 8, 2024. Archived from the original on February 8, 2024. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
- ^ "Airbnb Cofounders Join Buffett and Gates' 'Giving Pledge'". Fortune. June 1, 2016. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
- ^ Grind, Dustin Volz and Kirsten (November 20, 2020). "WSJ News Exclusive | Airbnb Executive Resigned Last Year Over Chinese Request for More Data Sharing". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
- ^ "Airbnb's Nathan Blecharczyk Is Leaning Back Into the Company's Scrappy Roots | Inc.com". February 8, 2024. Archived from the original on February 8, 2024. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
- ^ Stanford medicine: "Elizabeth Morey Blecharczyk" retrieved May 8, 2016
- ^ Goldberg, Eleanor (June 2, 2016). "Airbnb Co-Founders Commit Half Their Fortunes to Charity". Huffington Post.
- ^ "Why Fathers Need Parental Leave Too". Fortune. Retrieved August 5, 2017.
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This page was last edited on 3 April 2024, at 18:49